Dubai takes part in Oslo hospital congress

A high ranking delegation from the Dubai Health Authority is participating in the World Hospital Congress 2013 in Oslo, Norway.

The congress which is taking part from June 18 to 20, is a global forum in which leaders, policy makers and clinicians from all over the world have gathered to share their experiences and best practices in healthcare delivery.

At the congress, the Dubai Health Authority officials presented on Tuesday healthcare investment opportunities in the emirate and provided an overview of its regulatory framework which is applicable for approximately 22,000 physicians and 2,300 healthcare facilities expect free zones in the Emirate.

Dr Ramadan Ibrahim, Director of Regulation at the DHA, highlighted the regulatory services available at the DHA including the online regulation system known as ‘Sheryan’, which was implemented in the last quarter of 2011. Through the Sheryan system, physicians can apply for a licence to practise in Dubai from anywhere in the world. The round the clock online system is easy, efficient and cost effective and until the beginning of this year, the regulation department has processed 240,000 applications that were received via Sheryan.

Speaking about healthcare regulations in Dubai, Ibrahim said: “In Dubai, health services have developed greatly in the past 40 years and there have been enormous health improvements in the population. The health sector is growing rapidly with private sector investment which has called for the regulation of this sector to match this rapid growth and to be in line with international best practices.”

Ibtesham Bastaki, Director of Healthcare Operations at the DHA, elaborated on the various healthcare investment opportunities and said: “In Dubai, we do not consider the private sector to be our competitor; in fact we consider them to be our partners in our race for excellence. Dubai has four governmental hospitals and 22 private hospitals. In our private partners, we look at excellence in healthcare services and our key focus has always been patients and their well-being.

She added that the private sector investment has grown significantly in Dubai and that there are sufficient opportunities for the private sector to invest in the healthcare sector of the emirate.